Door latch



J. J. MCCABE DOOR LATCH Jan. 24, 1939.

Filed Jan. 3, 1955 72 pkv AITORNEY Patented Jan. 24, 1939 Doon LATCH John J. McCabe, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The Apex Electrical Manufacturing Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application January 3, 1935, Serial No. 257

7 Claims.

This invention relates to door latches and it has for its object the provision of a door latch which may be, operated with a minimum of eiort on the part of the operator by movement of a door handle or latch operating member in the door-opening direction. A further object of the invention relates to the provision of a self-opening hinged.

ment and combination of parts, hereinafter illusl5 trated and described in some of its embodiments in the accompanying drawing, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a detail sectional view of a door latch and its operating handle i1- iustrating one form of the invention; Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2, Figure 1 showing the details of the foot-actuated means provided for the operation of the latch bolt; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 illustrating a similar door latch having axially shiftable han dles or operating members located one on each side of the door; Figure 4 is an enlarged side elevational view, partly in section, of the handle of the-door latch shown in Figure 1; Figure-5 is a view similar to Figure 4 with the parts rotated ninety degrees from the position shown in Figure 4; Figure 6 is a view corresponding to Figures 4 and 5 illustrating the details of the fixed cam member carried by the door for cooperation with a complementary member carried by the handle of the door latch; Figure 7 is a detail sectional View taken on line 8 8, Figure 6; and Figure 8 is a side elevational view illustrating the details of the means provided for automatically opening the door upon the release of its latch.

The door latch used for purposes of illustrating this invention comprises a. latching device carried by a door I and a catch or keeper 2 carried by the door-frame 3. The latch includes a latch-bolt 4 pivoted at 5 in a latch mechanism casing or frame 61er movement into and out of engagement with the-catch 2. The operating means for the latch-bolt 4 comprises a toggle link 1 having one end pivotally secured to the latch 4 by means of a pin 8. The other end of. the toggle link 1 is slotted at I0 for receiving a pin II carried by one end of a U-shaped toggle link I2 which is pivoted at I3 to the frame 3. 'I'he 'toggle links 1 and I2 normally are in substantial I augment with each other.

The ends of the pin II are received in the slots of hooks formed in the ends of a U-shaped member or frame I4, secured to oneend of a rod I5, the other end of which is provided with an operating handle' 31 by means of which movement of the rod and operation of the latch-bolt is eiected. Springs I1 and v I8 are provided for maintaining the door latch and its operating means respectively, in latching position. A sleeve 4| carried by the door I provides a guideway for the handle I1. The inner end of this sleeve is threaded at 42 for receiving the threaded boss 22 of the latch mechanism frame 6 whereby the frame is supported by such sleeve.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the opening movement of the door may be readily effected by merely pulling on the handle 31. A door opening means of thissort has considerable utility .when used on refrigerators, as it often happens that the hands of the operator are burdened with articles to be placed in the refrigerator and it is sometimes much easier under such conditions to open the door by merely pulling on a knob or handle, such as shown at 31, than lit is to turn a door opening crank or handle in effecting the opening of thepdoor, particularly when the door is self-opening and when the unlatching thereof may be effected by the use of a very slight force as is the case here. The handle 31, however, is arranged to operate the latch-bolt upon its being turned, as will be described in detail presently, so that a person may open the door in one or the other manner, whichever is easier.

` In addition to the manual door opening means illustrated in detail in Figure 1, foot-ai ,lated means are additionallyprovided for unlatching the door. The foot-operated means referred to comprises a pin 23 mounted for movement in the door-frame 3to.shift the latch-bolt 4 out of engagement with the catch or keeper 2. The pin 23 is connected to one arm' of a'bell-crank 24 pivoted at 25 to the door-frame. The other arm of the bell-crank 24 is connected by means of a rod 26 to one end of a fulcrum lever 21, pivoted at 30 to the bottom of the door-frame and having a foot pedal-28 at its other end.

By means of the structurejust described, the door may be unlatched by either depressing the pedal 28 or by pulling upon the handle 31, whichever happens to be the more convenient for the operator. Upon release of the latchbolt 4 from its catch 2, the door is moved to its open position by means oi one or more plungers or pins 3l engaging vthe edge of the door to one side of the hinge axis thereof and carried by the door-frame 2 at the side thereof adjacent to the door hinges 32. The plunger 3i is urged against the door by any suitable means such as the spring 33, all of which are illustrated in detail ini- Figure 8 of the drawing.

Where it is desired to have a means for unlatching the door on each side thereof, the mechanism shown in Figures 1 and 2 may be used by providing the U-shaped member I 4 with a crosspiece 34 to which is attached a pin 35 iixed for movement with an inner door handle or knob 36. The movement of the knob 36 in a direction towards the door will serve to release the latchbolt 4, the same as does movement of the knob I3 in a direction away from the door. In either case, the movement of the knobs I3 or 36 is in a door-opening direction and upon release of the latch the spring 33 operates to complete or assist in the opening moyement of the door.

In Figures 4 to 7, there is illustrated in detail the latch-bolt operating mechanism which is provided for unlatching the door by either pulling or turning a handle 31. The handle 31 is rotatably connected to a latch operating pin 33 which corresponds to the pin I3 shown in the previously described views of the drawing and differing therefrom in that the handle 31 may be turned with respect to such pin. The handle and pin are rotatably held together by means of the head of abolt lll secured to the end of the rod 33. A sleeve 4I provided for carrying the handle 31 and mounted in the door is threaded at I2 for receiving the threaded boss 22 of the latch frame 3. The sleeve 4| is provided internally with a cam face 43 which cooperates with a cam face M of complementary form, provided on the part of the handle 31 which is rotatably received within the sleeve Il. The handle 31 includes a pin 45 of suitable material such as one of the aldehyde condensation products and this pin is removably held in place on the handle by means of the cap which is secured to the handle by any suitable means such as the concealed screws 41. Upon removal of the cap and pin just described, access may be had to the screw or bolt Ill for its securement or removal. l

Unlatching of the door may be effected by the door latch mechanism shown'in Figures 5 to 8, by either rotating the handle 31 or by pulling the same in a'door-opening direction, thus providing two different ways which may be used optionally in opening the door by means of this form of mechanism.

From the foregoing disclosure, it will be seen that this invention contemplates the provision of a door unlatching device which may be operated by either pulling,` pushing or turning a handle, or by depressing a foot pedal, and when the opening of the door is effected by pulling or pushing the handle, the movement of the handle is in the door-opening direction.

Furthermore, it is to be understood that the particular forms of door ,latch apparatus shown and described, and the particular procedure set forth are presented forr purposes vof explanation andthat various modifications of said apparatus and procedure can be made without departure fromthis invention asdescribed in the appended 1 in which said means includes a stationary cam and rigid means on the handle riding thereagainst.

3. In combination, a latch bolt, a handle member, consisting of component parts in rigid relationship, means for mounting the handle member for reciprocative and also rotative movement, a second means connected between the handle member and the latch bolt whereby reciprocative movement of the handle member in one direction causes operative movement of the latch bolt and a. third means cooperatively associated with the handle member whereby rotation thereof in one direction causes a predetermined degree of longitudinal or reciprocative movement.

4. A latch construction comprising, a relatively stationary member having parallel sides, a latch bolt pivoted between said sides, a toggle having one end pivoted to the latch bolt and its other end pivoted to the said member, a U-shaped frame having its sides located adjacent to said toggle and interiorly of said stationary member, means for guiding the U-shaped frame for movement in said stationary member, and means cooperatively connected tothe U-shaped frame and the toggle whereby movement of the U-shaped frame causes retraction of the latch bolt.

5. A combination of elements as recited in claim 4 and also including a handle, means i'or mounting the handle whereby it may be osclllated or reciprocated, means for rotatably connecting the handle to the connecting portion of the U- shaped frame, and means operatively associated with the handle whereby rotation thereof causes reciprocation thereof.

6. A combination of elements as stated in claim 4 in which a handle member is connected to the U-shaped frame, said handle being rotatable, a stationary axial cam located adjacent to the handle, and rigid means on the handle riding against the said axial cam for the purpose described.

7. In combination, a member, a latch bolt plvoted on said member, mechanism for operating said latch bolt about its pivot, a second member connected to said mechanism and operated thereby upon reciprocation of the second member, means for movably mounting the second member in the first member whereby the second member may reciprocate, a handle member pivotally connected to the second member so as to be capable of rotating about an axis which is parallel to the path of movement of the second member, a projection on the handle member, and an axial cam adjacent to and contacted by the said projection whereby rotation of the handle member causes reciprocation of the handle membenand said second member to a predetermined degree.

JOHN J; MCCABE. 

